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On the whole, those currently not amongst the top-ranked acquitted themselves well.

Klopp was certainly content, saying: “The attitude was outstanding. We needed to be serious and it was good, I am really happy.

“It wasn’t the most exciting game but we controlled it, had a few chances, got a clean sheet and gave some boys some minutes.

“Now we can prepare for the Manchester game and I am looking forward to it.”:

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James Milner of Liverpool reacts against Porto as he puts in a man of the match performance (Image: Shaun Botterill)

Klopp, whose only minor concern was a dead leg suffered by Jordan Henderson, might have professed himself delighted with the approach of his players but, occasionally, they were a little too casual, a little sloppy and even just a touch uninterested.

You could hardly blame them, any onus to go gung-ho should have been on Porto.

Instead, for swathes of this predictably unmemorable occasion, they seemed content to become the first team in memory to try and protect a five-goal deficit.

To be fair, early in the second half, they did have the game’s first accurate strike on goal, Majeed Waris stretching Loris Karius, a keeper who seems to be developing fresh confidence with each start.

“I need to pay back the confidence of the manager,” said Karius. “And to be a proper established goalkeeper takes a few seasons.”

The reason Klopp decided against giving Simon Mignolet an outing instead of Karius was momentum.

And that must have been the reason Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino had to do a shift apiece, although the latter’s lasted little more than an hour, probably the time you would have thought Klopp’s attention turned exclusively to the Old Trafford engagement this weekend.

If it did, he confounded most people by sending on Mo Salah but he was just keeping his main man ticking over.

“I told Salah that if he ran in a lot in this last 15 minutes, he would not have to train tomorrow,” laughed Klopp. “So he ran a lot.”

Salah duly produced opportunities for both James Milner and fellow substitute Danny Ings, who was denied by Iker Casillas in what might be the final Champions League appearance of one of Europe’s most decorated players.

In his cameo, Salah probably carried the most creative threat of the night but that was hardly an accolade.

Because in truth, everyone could have gone home after the handshakes and the daft anthem.

Liverpool’s mission had long been accomplished, now for something livelier on Saturday.